# Ross Perot is dead **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 9, 2019, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ross-perot-is-dead/836781 "2019-07-09T16:28:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![txjim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f07891/32.png) [@txjim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/txjim)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2019, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ross-perot-is-dead/836781/21 "2019-07-12T18:15:31Z")
> [@Moriarty](#): > > If we are going to discuss his legacy, we should include his [efforts](http://www.danielpipes.org/7958/on-wings-of-eagles) to rescue two employees from Iran after the revolution in the late 1970’s (It should be noted that much of the rescue has been considered [exaggerated](https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1992-07-09-9203020097-story.html), but that shouldn’t stop a good story). I suspect bump can confirm, but a large sign in front of the EDS campus listed the days the main group of hostages were in activity during that time. It was updated daily. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2019, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ross-perot-is-dead/836781/22 "2019-07-12T19:38:38Z")
> [@Dobbs](#): > > I remember when his company, EDS, changed their dress code, and women were allowed to wear pants to work. In the 80s EDS had a very strict way of hiring at least for entry level people. They would not even talk to anybody with a college GPA below 3.3 and they wanted to see your college transcript. They had 3 rounds of interviews and if you made it to the 3rd round you were pretty much a lock to get a job offer at the interview and you had to say yes or no right then. They made me an offer and I said no. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2019, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ross-perot-is-dead/836781/23 "2019-07-12T19:53:33Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > In the 80s EDS had a very strict way of hiring at least for entry level people. They would not even talk to anybody with a college GPA below 3.3 and they wanted to see your college transcript. They had 3 rounds of interviews and if you made it to the 3rd round you were pretty much a lock to get a job offer at the interview and you had to say yes or no right then. They made me an offer and I said no. I could have written this post. I also interviewed with EDS when I was just out of college, and also got a job offer, which I also turned down. The corporate culture just didn’t seem like something I would have fit into, even though the money would have been pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2019, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ross-perot-is-dead/836781/24 "2019-07-12T20:45:22Z")
I used to work with someone who had been with EDS. She told me the company would put an employee through a period of intensive training, and if they made it through, the employment contract required them to stay at least two years. If they left before then, they’d have to reimburse EDS for the cost of the training. In other words, their employment and training model was based on the U.S. military. They got as close to it as they could without violating the law. They couldn’t prohibit employees from leaving before the two year period was up, but they did make it so expensive to leave that it was next to impossible for most people. ---
**Author:** ![Dobbs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Dobbs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dobbs)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2019, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ross-perot-is-dead/836781/25 "2019-07-12T23:28:20Z")
> [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > I used to work with someone who had been with EDS. She told me the company would put an employee through a period of intensive training, and if they made it through, the employment contract required them to stay at least two years. If they left before then, they’d have to reimburse EDS for the cost of the training. I knew a guy who said he was hired to teach part of that training. He said after a year or two, they came to him and said that he hadn’t taken the training, and he would have to take the classes and sign the papers. He didn’t, which is how we came to work together. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2019, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ross-perot-is-dead/836781/26 "2019-07-13T01:50:02Z")
> [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](#): > > Unlike many rich people, he seems to have given very little (well millions) to charities. The _Failing New York Times’_ front-page obit was very nonspecific. He died with about $4B. Shame on him. I didn’t know it was a requirement to give away all your money. I don’t know how much or how he gave money to charities but I have heard multiple stories like this one where he was generous with his money and time on a very personal level. > **[Rick Perry: Now that Ross Perot is gone, I can tell this story](https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2019/07/12/rick-perry-now-that-ross-perot-is-gone-i-can-tell-this-story/)** > > This week, the nation remembers Ross Perot for his success in business, his two independent White House bids and his no nonsense, straight Texas... ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2019, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ross-perot-is-dead/836781/27 "2019-07-13T16:18:45Z")
I got a C in 1 class and the EDS interviewer asked me about that grade. I knew they were going to ask about the C since I talked to someone who had been through their process. ---
**Author:** ![DKW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dkw/32/3118_2.png) [@DKW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DKW)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2019, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ross-perot-is-dead/836781/28 "2019-07-26T05:12:37Z")
Apart from the painfully obvious fact that this erratic egomaniac wasn’t qualified to lead a flash mob, much less the nation, the greatest tragedy was that he would’ve been better served doing anything else…literally _anything else_ with his life. Firebrand pundit, economic analyst, shock jock, sports owner, tech innovator, reality TV host, heck, start his own damn theme park. Or how about run for a lesser office, governor or mayor or state legislator (and he would’ve had a very good chance of winning…history has shown that it doesn’t take much to win one of those). With the kind of money and influence he had, he could’ve left a _vastly_ greater legacy than “the loudmouth who messed with a couple of elections”. And I’ll never respect the die-surrounded-by-your-wealth mindset. Still can’t take it with you, bub. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2019, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ross-perot-is-dead/836781/29 "2019-07-26T05:26:10Z")
> [@DKW](#): > > Still can’t take it with you, bub. Bollocks to _that!_ I’m not going! :mad: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ross-perot-is-dead/836781.md?page=1)